One OSTRANDER No. 1 Raritan Fire Brick Troy NY (002)

Description

OSTRANDER No. 1 Raritan Brick Company Troy NY
One Pre-1868 Ostrander No. 1 Raritan fire brick.
We believe this brick is pre-1868 because bricks made after 1868 were marked “Ostrander S” which meant “Ostrander & Sons”. This coincides with business listings showing the firm changed names in that time period from Ostrander & Heartt to Ostrander & Sons.
The “No. 1” designation refers to the hardness of the brick, No. 1 being the softest and No. 3 being the hardest.
The word Raritan refers to the Raritan river in New Jersey.
According to the Troy City Directories, James Ostrander took over the fire brick business from Dan Hudson around 1855. He subsequently teams up with Jonas Heartt in about 1856 and Ostrander & Heartt AKA Troy Fire Brick Works debuts.
Around 1866 the Heartt name disappears from the business listings of Ostrander & Heartt and in 1868 the firm becomes listed as James Ostrander and Son.
In 1878, an ad appears in the directory indicating "James Ostrander and Son - Francis A. Ostrander surviving partner." ALSO that firm is the "General Office of the Staten Island Kaolin Co of Rossville (Staten Island) New York."
Between 1885 and 1899 the firm becomes listed as Ostrander Fire Brick Co.
Between 1926 and 1930 "OFBC" is dropped from the Troy Business Directories.
Approximately 9” x 4.25” x 2.5” and 5.5 lbs.